Anne Frank, Tall Bikes, and One Clean Duck

Yesterday was the UMass Motor Sport Clubs' annual car show. The cars were okay, I guess, but my favorite part by far was the modified tall bikes. They don't look too safe or convenient, but boy are they cool.

Before I went to the car show I walked the campus pond. There was this duck freaking out, trying to clean itself. Luckily I had my video camera on hand, capturing most of his ridiculous antics.



There is about a week left of solid classes and I am pretty happy about that. After giving it much thought, I have decided to stay an extra semester so I can successful fulfill all of my academic requirements without going completely crazy. This means I won't be signing up for online courses this summer; something that may have posed some difficulty if it were placed on top of my already hectic plans.

This is an exert from my high school sketch book. I probably drew this when I was 16, maybe 17. I was, and still am, a big fan of the accessories and affectations of the classic American homeless man. There's a guy that hangs out on Main Street that recently lost his leg. Now he walks around with crutches, mumbling and yelling at people.

Speak easy,
Neil

Today's Playlist:
Orality In The Fourth Dimension

This is a playlist of my favorite narrative songs, or songs that tell a kind of linear story. Most of them have a beginning, middle, and end, but a few of the songs on the list are a little less obvious (although they still have a story with multiple characters). Although, I suppose you could make the point that every song has some sort of story to tell.

1. Flight of the Conchords - Nothin' Wrong (Folk The World Tour)
[A man kills his wife and chops up her body...it's actually a really funny song]

2. The Streets - It Was Supposed To Be So Easy (A Grand Don't...)
[After running errands, a man returns to find a house full of friends and 1,000 quid missing]

3. Clarence Carter - Patches (Patches)
[A boy deals with many losses as he grows up working on the family farm]

4. The Decemberists - A Cautionary Song (Castaways and Cutouts)
[A woman prostitutes herself to the local sailors to feed her children]

5. Ben Folds - Fred Jones Part 2 (Rockin' The Suburbs)
[An old man is laid off from his job after 25 years]

6. Nickel Creek - The Lighthouse Tale (Nickel Creek)
[A tragic love story told from the point of view of a lighthouse]

7. Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (Come On, Feel The Illonoise)
[The true story of a man who dressed up as a clown and proceeded to rape and murder young boys]

8. Death Cab For Cutie - Styrofoam Plates (The Photo Album)
[A man copes with the death of his deadbeat dad]

9. Bright Eyes - Amy In The White Coat (Noise Floor)
[A girl is sexually abused by her father and falls into a deep depression]

10. Neutral Milk Hotel - Two Headed Boy (In The Aeroplane Over The Sea)
[A cryptic song about dancing and getting intimate with Anne Frank]

11. M. Ward - Chinese Translation (Post-War)
[A man travels across land and ocean to find the answers to some of life's most difficult questions]

12. Say Hi To Your Mom - As Smart As Geek Is Chic Right Now (Ferocious Mopes)
[A group of robots are accidentally given brains and are subsequently killed by a scared security gaurd]

Note: This list ended up being more depressing than I thought it would.